Generally speaking, when someone announces the opening of a new game studio, the substance of its subsequent output is pretty much an unknown entity. However, when its employees boast credentials that include work on Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, Escape from Monkey Island and Curse of Monkey Island, it’s a lot easier to predict what’s going on.
The former LucsArts developers’ new studio will be known as Autumn Moon Entertainment, and is embarking on work not too far removed from its previous projects, which will surely warm the hearts of point-and-click fans the world over. The first game in the making is "A Vampyre Story".
Aesthetically, AME aims to synthesise the ridiculous atmosphere of gothic horror films from the 1930s and 1940s (except with the inclusion of sound and colour) and adorn it with the trademark humour seen in the classic Monkey Island series, all structured by typical point-and-click gameplay. The resulting style is pleasingly Tim Burton-esque, and could be a good indication of the quality of the finished article.
Although AME has yet to sign a publishing deal for A Vampyre Story, if it fulfils its potential, then that should merely be a formality. We’ll know for sure when the game nears completion around Halloween 2005.
Expect all related news as soon as it breaks.